Jim Kwik explains how two-minute breaks boost focus and productivity. German research shows people who take a brief pause before finishing a task concentrate better than those who push through. Schedule microbreaks throughout your day, even when busy.
There's a minimum amount of minutes that qualifies as rest. The research on microbreaks, I think, is really interesting because sometimes people will say, you know, I've got a job or 2 jobs and kids to look after, parents to look after. You know, there is no time to rest. And I absolutely get that. But microbreaks can make a real difference. And often what we do is we make our breaks a reward for when we finish something, particularly if we're up against a deadline. So there's some really interesting German research that found that this is a thing we often do. So, you know, you've got an hour and a half left to get this project finished and get it in. And so you think, well, what I'm going to do is I'm going to get absolutely head down. I'm going to get that done. And then I'll go and make a cup of tea afterwards. And actually, because we know that our attention and our focus can increase if you've had even a really short break, actually you should go and get that cup of tea now and come back with it, because you'll be more focused and able to concentrate better. Even taking a 2-minute break up to your deadline can help. So it's a good idea to work out, well, what are the activities that I find restful? And then try and work out how you can fit short amounts of that into your day, even if it is only 2-minute breaks. Just getting up and walking around does make such a difference.
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